According to a statement released by Spanish Police on Monday, two of the suspects were apprehended in Malaga, Spain, and the other three were arrested in Denmark. The accused had allegedly smuggled over 3.5 tons of hashish into Denmark, hidden within shipments of live animals transported by the criminal organization.
The hashish was subsequently distributed to small and medium-scale drug traffickers.
During the operation Danish and Spanish authorities seized €59,000 (US$63,400) in a house in Spain and hashish in Denmark.
In December 2022, as a result of an investigation started years ago, law enforcement agents identified two individuals in the southern Spanish city Marbella, believed to be members of the criminal organization.
One was a Danish former member of the Hells Angels biker gang, and the other was an aspiring member. Their role was to contact hashish suppliers in Morocco, arrange the drug's import into Spain, and then ship it to Denmark.
Both individuals were considered “High Value Targets” for the Danish authorities and had previous records in Spain, including an arrest in 2022 related to a dispute with a Polish criminal organization and other drug trafficking charges.
On May 31, Europol specialists and investigators from Denmark and Spain conducted a coordinated operation, during which agents from both countries participated in multiple raids. The searches resulted in the seizure of several computer and telephone devices used by the criminal organization to secure their communications.
This is not the first time that individuals linked to the Hells Angels biker gang have faced criminal charges in Europe. In 2013, a similar operation supported by Europol led to the arrest of 25 members or affiliates of the Hells Angels on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
The operation involved more than 200 law enforcement officers from multiple countries, including Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Austria, and resulted in the seizure of multiple cars, motorcycles, firearms, and electronic devices. The suspects were accused of various crimes, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and corruption.